Where is Before We Die based? Filming locations for Channel 4 drama
From Bristol's Clifton to Brussels in Belgium, here's everything you need to know about Before We Die's filming locations.
Lesley Sharp returns to our screens tonight in brand new Channel 4 drama Before We Die – a remake of a Swedish series of the same name.
In the six-parter, the Scott & Bailey star leads the Before We Die cast as Hannah Laing, a detective investigating the death of her colleague and lover Sean, who discovers that her estranged son is somehow involved in the case.
Set in Bristol, those familiar with the city will spot a number of popular landmarks, parks, shopping quarters and nightlife hubs whilst watching the new drama – but will you be able to notice which parts of filmed in the port town and which are actually filmed in Brussels?
Here's everything you need to know about the locations that feature in Before We Die.
Stokes Croft, Bristol
Bristol's Stokes Croft features in Before We Die, with various scenes being filmed in the city's cultural quarter. Full of graffiti murals, independent traders and nightlife hotspots, the area is just north of Bristol city centre.
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Speaking about setting the drama in Bristol, executive producer Jo McGrath said: "We wanted to set it in a port city, as that is important to the drug trafficking storyline.
"We were looking for something a little less familiar and Bristol is one of those cities that actually has been used as a backdrop for filming a lot, but you wouldn’t know it because a lot of series are filmed there but not set there. Bristol is such a visually interesting city and editorially it fitted with our storyline."
Various bits of filming for Before We Die also took place on York Road, a street in Montpelier, Bristol, just north of Stokes Croft.
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Clifton, Bristol
Victoria Square is an area within Clifton where parts of Before We Die were filmed. The urban square is located near Clifton suspension bridge and was the home of physician William Budd, poet J Addington-Symonds and cricketer W.G. Grace.
The Channel 4 drama also filmed at the Paragon – a Grade II listed building dating back to the 1800s.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press outlets, executive producer Walter Iuzzolino said about filming in Bristol: "We just thought it was such an interesting, quasi-European with all this renaissance grandeur and the sea and the lovely posh Notting Hill-ish type village of Clifton."
"For us, it was a very interesting stage to set a drama like that so it was an exciting thing for us to be honest."
Brandon Hill Park, Bristol
Brandon Hill Park is a playground found in the heart of Bristol which features in a number of scenes in Before We Die. Located in the park is Cabot Tower, a 105ft tower which provides panoramic views of the whole city.
The park is a haven for wildlife, containing ponds, green fields and a number of hills.
Clarence Road, Bristol
Clarence Road is street in Bristol, located on the River Avon in Redcliffe. Right near the Langton St Bridge, Before We Die filmed along this busy road which is sandwiched between the Bath Bridge Roundabout and the Bedminster Bridge Roundabout.
The Horsefair, Bristol
The Horsefair, which features in Before We Die, is located within Bristol's shopping quarter in Broadmead. Opposite the Bearpit park, The Horsefair is a busy shopping hub full of coffee shops, clothing retailers and supermarkets.
Brussels, Belgium
Various scenes in Before We Die were actually shot in Brussels, Belgium – even those that were meant to be set in Bristol.
"We shot a lot of the show in and around Brussels, but the setting is Bristol," Lesley Sharp said, while executive producer Jo McGrath said: "Belgium also features in our drug trafficking storyline. [Director] Jan is Belgian too and we did shoot many of the interiors in Belgium."
Director Jan Matthys added: "For me, part of the challenge was making Belgium match with the other scenes in Bristol – which was interesting.
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"We became specialists in ‘Anglifying’ Belgium. It was simple things such as putting double yellow lines on the streets which made it instantly Bristol. I love the magic of my craft and this was a good way to bring the series to life."
Want more show content? Read our theories on who is the mole in Before We Die.
Before We Die will debut on Wednesday 26th May at 9pm on Channel 4. If you’re looking for more to watch, take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or check out our TV Guide.
